9 essential virtual assistant skills  

‘Virtual assistant skills’ has become a popular search term as more people have become interested in this type of role for the flexibility it offers. If you’re one, here are some of the skills you will need to be successful.

In our digital world, more of us are working remotely than ever before. And business leaders are increasingly outsourcing time-consuming admin tasks to skilled virtual assistants to focus on the projects that matter most to them. 

But even though there’s an increased demand for virtual assistants, (especially since the pandemic) there are also more of them, as it’s a sought-after flexible role and ideal for skilled professionals who want the opportunity to work more flexibly.  

So, if you’re an aspiring virtual assistant and if you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to be at the top of your game. And, having certain skills and attributes will impress potential employers.

Here are nine of them.

Essential virtual assistant skills

Conscientious   

‘If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.’

Understandably, businesses love it when employees are conscientious. But they dislike it even more when they are not and when work is submitted half-baked, inaccurate and with careless spelling mistakes. As a virtual assistant, your tasks will range in complexity, but you should complete them equally to a high standard and double-check everything before clicking send.   

Reliable   

Virtual assistants are hired to help keep things moving, so it’s important to be reliable and to work efficiently. Don’t be late for online team calls. And if you promise to send something by 9am the next day, do it! Others are counting on you to deliver and it doesn’t go unnoticed if you consistently miss deadlines. 

Attentive 

Paying attention and being an ‘active’ listener is key! When you’re being briefed on a task, listen carefully and take notes so you don’t miss important details. Try and take in the ‘whole picture’ of the conversation and read between the lines of what is said that isn’t being said. Ask questions if you need to when being briefed, so you can get your assignment right the first time.  

Resourceful 

If something isn’t working out can you think independently before asking for help? Can you suggest a solution to a problem or make a recommendation without being asked? Can you be proactive and complete something that needs to be done ahead of time? Having initiative will impress employers and make them more likely to renew your contract.

Wordsmith

Ok, you don’t need to be a published author but you should be able to write a decent email or one pager if needed. As virtual assistants work online, you need to be able to express yourself clearly in your team communications, reports and messages.  

Flexible  

As a virtual assistant, your role is to support the company or person you’re working for. But things change at a moment’s notice. The brief might get adjusted or scrapped altogether. You’ll need to go with the flow.  

Patient 

As above, you’re in a role where you’ll need to be patient and prepared to work around others’ schedules. You may also be doing some fairly repetitive tasks so you’ll need to be committed to seeing it through. 

Honest

We all value honesty in our personal and business relationships and being honest is part of being professional. If something isn’t working out or you’ve made a mistake, own it and be upfront. People will appreciate this more than you think. 

Positive

Who doesn’t want to enjoy working with their colleagues? Especially when working remotely, it can be hard to ‘get to know’ people and build rapport. But an upbeat attitude can be felt over a Zoom call and will warm others to you, so always try and bring your best self when speaking with the team/your employer. 

These are only some of the skills you need to be successful, but a good attitude and strong work ethic will get you far. 

The information on this page is not professional, business or lifestyle advice and is for entertainment purposes only.